MASTER PLAN Willamette Falls Riverwalk NOVEMBER 2017 DRAFT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Follow the Project Partners Design Team Willamette Falls City of Oregon City Snøhetta Legacy Project Clackamas County Mayer/Reed, Inc. website: Metro DIALOG willamettefallslegacy.org State of Oregon JLA Public Involvement KPFF Consulting Engineers Technical Advisory Committee and Project Flowing Solutions LLC Staff City of Oregon City DKS Associates @willamettefallslegacyproject Clackamas County NW Geotech, Inc. Metro DCW Cost Management @willamettefallslegacyproject State of Oregon Technical Consultants CH2M Property Owners Falls Legacy LLC Stillwater Sciences @WFLegacyProject Portland General Electric MIG, Inc. ECONorthwest Native American Tribes #willamettefalls Confederated Tribes of the Maul Foster Alongi, Inc. Umatilla Indian Reservation Rick Williams Consulting #wflp Confederated Tribes of the Grand Heritage Resource Associates, Inc. Ronde Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 Part IV: Recommended Riverwalk Concept Design 61 Key Uses Part I: Introduction 5 Falls Viewing Access Willamette Falls: A Natural Treasure Paths, Walkways and Biking Trails Metro Parks and Nature Collective Gathering and Event Spaces Oregon City Parks and Recreation Habitat Restoration and Natural History Interpretation Project Background River Access and Activities Previous Work: Laying the Foundation PGE Dam Site Ownership Historic and Cultural Interpretation Purpose of this Document Honoring Native American Presence: Past, Present and Future Economic Redevelopment Part II: About the Site 13 Riverwalk Access and Connections Site Location Parking, Access and Transportation Strategy Site Description Riverwalk Design - Area 1: The North Riverfront Site History Riverwalk Design - Area 2: The South Riverfront Habitat Conditions Riverwalk Design - Area 3: PGE Dam and Mill E Flooding and Hydrologic Conditions Riverwalk Design - Area 4: Canemah Connection Geology and Topography Neighboring Uses, Site Access and Connections Buildings, Structures and Special Features Part V: Implementation 105 Cost Estimates Permitting Part III: Process and Community Demolition Engagement 37 Brownfield Remediation The Design Team Infrastructure Design Principles Additional Planning and Community Engagement Efforts The riverwalk is more than a walk! Phasing Stakeholder Input Operations and Maintenance Community Engagement Opportunities Security and Interim Access Technical Studies Funding Alternatives Evaluation Rediscover the Falls Catalytic Impact and Economic Benefits Figures 115 Appendix 131 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Willamette Falls is one of the nation’s most beautiful and historic natural wonders. The second largest waterfall by volume in North America, it has long been an important cultural and gathering place for Native American tribes. Industrial development, beginning in the 1830s, blocked the Falls from public access and greatly modified the riverbank with man-made industrial structures. The Blue Heron Paper Company was the most recent in a succession of various industries that nested itself on the east bank of the Willamette River at Willamette Falls. The closure of the paper mill in February of 2011, due to bankruptcy, allowed the opportunity to bring public access to the Falls for the first time in more than 150 years. Following the paper mill’s closure, the City of Oregon City, Clackamas County, Metro and the State of Oregon joined together as Project Partners to form the Willamette Falls Legacy Project. These four government agencies have partnered since 2012 to establish and carry out a vision for the 22-acre site and reduce and remove barriers to redevelopment. A key feature of the vision for the project site is the creation of a world-class riverwalk to allow for public access and viewing of Willamette Falls. The Willamette Falls Legacy Project site in Oregon City contains more than 50 industrial buildings, various degraded natural habitat areas, and is partially within the Willamette River floodplain. At the southern end of the project site, and on Willamette Falls itself, is a dam owned and operated by Portland General Electric (PGE). The site presents many opportunities and challenges. Opportunities for the riverwalk include strong ties to Native American tribes and culture, a site rich with the history of the Oregon Territory, the industrial west and power generation, and a fully operational dam walkway that can draw visitors close to the Falls to feel the mist and hear the roar of the water. Challenges for site development include hazardous building materials, flooding risks, state and federal protection of fish and wildlife species and dam operations. In 2014, Falls Legacy LLC purchased the mill site and donated an easement along the shoreline to Metro for the purposes of building a public riverwalk. Metro has taken the lead in riverwalk design using funding from its 2006 Natural Areas Bond, along with contributions from the other three agency Partners and the private property owner. Willamette Falls Riverwalk Master Plan Draft 1 Guided by the project’s four core values of economic redevelopment, public access, historical and cultural interpretation and healthy habitat, the riverwalk design began in 2015. Robust community engagement has shaped the riverwalk conceptual design; thousands of people have participated in events, surveys, tours and meetings related to the Willamette Falls riverwalk. Based on community and site owner input as well as technical studies and conservation science, the recommended riverwalk plan takes inspiration from the power of the Falls, selectively carving away concrete, steel, wood and stone from the project site to reveal the rich cultural, ecological and geological layers of history aggregated on the site. The Willamette Falls Legacy Project site lies within an area of the Willamette River watershed that Metro and other conservation groups have identified for important habitat restoration and boasts several rare native plant species that thrive in the mist of the Falls. Improvements made to create healthy habitats and enhance natural environments can make a big difference for salmon, steelhead and Pacific lamprey migrating past the site. The riverwalk is expected to be a catalyst for the redevelopment of the remainder of the site and for economic improvement in adjacent downtown Oregon City and neighboring West Linn. Throughout the riverwalk design, public spaces intertwine with redevelopment parcels and buildings in order to increase to economic viability. Pathways and promenades connect islands of re-used industrial structure and large areas of restored habitat. Exploring the site, visitors will travel through a rich sequence that celebrates Willamette Falls in its fullest depth of nature, culture, industry and time. The design includes the following elements: • A wide promenade for visitors to walk along the river • Explorer Trails that provide additional pathways to bring visitors closer to the river and navigate through and over wildlife habitat areas and historic structures • Removal of several industrial buildings and structures along the river with low redevelopment and historic value 2 Willamette Falls Riverwalk Master Plan Draft • A new boat dock for light watercraft, both motorized and non-motorized • Exposure of industrial water channels, also known as tailraces, to promote healthy floodplain function • A flexible public plaza for events and gatherings • Removal of a large amount of structural fill to restore historic shoreline conditions near the Woolen Mill • Reuse of a historic mill building for covered The Woolen Mill Alcove and Public Yard gathering space, interpretive elements and a visitor center • Multiple viewpoints of the falls, both up close and from building rooftops • Removal of invasive plants and industrial debris from the river’s edge and planting of native tree and shrub species • Addition of large woody debris in shoreline areas to create natural habitats for river species • A walkway on the PGE dam and a destination falls overlook from an old powerhouse foundation • Reuse of the large clarifier tank for landscape of oak savanna habitat and connection to pedestrian The Woolen Mill Overlook bridges • A vertical play structure that utilizes the steel structure of a mill building • A pedestrian bridge to the McLoughlin Promenade, rising 100 feet above the site • Immersive experiences and historic and cultural interpretation throughout the public space • Opportunities for integration with future private development • Visitor parking areas and access improvements for all transportation modes The Clarifier Landscape and PGE Dam Promenade The overall concept will be constructed in phases, with Phase 1 beginning once the Partners reach an agreement with the private property owner. Phase 1 will include habitat restoration, historic and cultural interpretative elements and open public access closer to the falls. Phase 1 will focus demolition and site preparation in the Yard and Mill Reserve areas and provide a viewing area in the Mill H building and Boiler Plant complex. The project has also spurred the creation of a 501(c)3 nonprofit friends group, Rediscover the Falls, that is dedicated to advancing the Willamette Falls Legacy Project through building friendships and fundraising. Keeping the four core values of economic redevelopment, public access, historical and cultural interpretation and healthy habitat